Graduate Research Associate/Postdoctoral Research Associate/Research Fellow in Sustainable Drainage Systems (SWEEP)

Short info about job

Detail information about job Graduate Research Associate/Postdoctoral Research Associate/Research Fellow in Sustainable Drainage Systems (SWEEP). Terms and conditions vacancy

Engineering

This part time (0.5FTE) post is available from 1 November 2017 for 30 months.

The University of Exeter is a Russell Group university that combines world-class research with very high levels of student satisfaction. Exeter has over 21,000 students from more than 130 different countries and is in the top 1% of universities in the world with 98% of its research rated as being of international quality. Our research focuses on some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today.

Applications are invited for a water engineer or computer scientist to work part-time (50% FTE) on the “South West Partnership for Environment and Economic Prosperity (SWEEP)” project. Working closely with the Water and Environment Group at the University of Exeter, the postholder will join an interdisciplinary team of engineers and scientists who are engaging directly with government and business to address a range of environmental challenges across the South West of England.

The postholder will work with Pell-Frischmann and several other stakeholders in the South West of the UK to deliver impact project entitled “Assessment of potential for large scale implementation of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) in the South West”. Increasing population, urbanisation and climate change are putting additional pressure on existing sewer infrastructure by reducing their capacity to manage surface water runoff hence increasing the risk of flooding and pollution of the environment. These issues are of particular importance in the South West region which has most of UK’s natural capital. The concept behind the SuDS is to mimic natural systems to drain away surface water run-off through collection, storage and cleaning before releasing it back into the environment. The overall aim of the project is to develop an innovative, planning methodology and a tool for strategic level prioritisation of areas for SuDS implementation. This will be followed by the application to several case studies to test/validate the tool and assess the corresponding costs and benefits in the process.

The successful applicant will be appointed at Grade E (with BSc/BEng/MEng/MSc or equivalent degree) or on Grade E or F (with PhD or equivalent degree, plus relevant experience) in water engineering or computer science and will have, ideally, specialist knowledge/expertise in Sustainable Drainage Systems, Geographical Information Systems and Software Programming. They will be able to work collaboratively both within the academic team but also with other project stakeholders in business and local authorities.

The University offers some fantastic benefits including 41 days leave per year, options for flexible working, numerous discounts at leading retailers, onsite gym, cycle to work scheme and a stunning campus environment in the heart of Exeter.  If you are not currently in Exeter please have a look at our website for some further information on what a beautiful part of the country we are based in.

For further information please contact Prof Zoran Kapelan [email protected].

The College is working towards department Silver Athena SWAN awards as a commitment to providing equality of opportunity and advancing the representation of women in STEM/M subjects: science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine.

The University of Exeter is an equal opportunity employer.  We are officially recognised as a Disability Confident employer and an Athena Swan accredited institution.  Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented in the workforce.